Happy

It was a small point of pride when living in Basel that I was able to say that I had never eaten at a McDonalds overseas. I wasn't a snob about it; it just didn't seem quite right to be eating such American food when living or traveling in another country (it probably helped that I very seldom ate at McDonalds before going overseas). I can only think of three times when I almost violated this principle, none of which involved my eating the food there: (1) I used the restroom at the McDonalds next to the Spanish Steps in Rome; (2) I got a cup of coffee on a long drive home from Germany; and (3) I took Gretchen to the McDonalds near our house after our pre-natal class when she was having pregnancy cravings.

I was discussing this with a colleague one day, and he said that would assuredly change when we had kids. He was Spanish, not American, but he insisted that no matter where they come from, children around the world are drawn to the golden arches. Well...I'm afraid to say I think he may have been right.

Some people might think that we're bad parents for buying our two-year-old daughter a McDonald's Happy Meal. So unhealthy! So corporate! So American! But not only is it a sure-fire way to get her to have some protein when she won't eat anything else (something in their hamburgers is like kiddie crack), it also enhances her creativity and environmental awareness to find new uses for the box. Reduce, reuse, recyle indeed...